


Tender Platonic Care

by xoalenko (spacebarista)



Series: Kaidan Appreciation Week 2016 [5]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Kaidan Appreciation Week, Mentioned Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6380743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebarista/pseuds/xoalenko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Kaidan Week Day 6: Friendships. Ashley finds Kaidan's quiet space, but he can't say he regrets it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tender Platonic Care

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notnowcommander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notnowcommander/gifts).



> And here we are with ANOTHER belated Kaidan Week fic, this one called “Tender Platonic Care”, brought about by chit chats about Ash and Kaidan with notnowcommander. we both are of the belief that Kaidan and Ash would be very affectionate best friends, which inspired Ash helping Kaidan through a migraine. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are lovely!

He'd done it again. Pushed himself too hard. And now he's paying for it in spades.

 

About three weeks into the hunt for Saren, Kaidan discovered that the Mako was a surprisingly great place for him to hide during a migraine. It’s quiet, the lights can be turned off or set low easily, and no one really spends the night cycle messing with it, leaving it and its surrounding area free of anyone who could disturb him or ask too many questions. So, after ground missions, when his head is pounding so hard he can barely think or open his eyes, he climbs into the Mako, lays out blankets and sleeping bags, and sleeps off the headache. If he can.

 

This time is no different.

 

Naturally, the migraine had started _after_ he’d left the medbay. He hadn’t wanted to go back after Ashley had commanded him to get some rest from her own bed. So he’d made a beeline right for the deserted shuttle bay and built his makeshift bed on the floor of the Mako. He had thrown his arm over his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

 

He's dozed, but the throbbing at the base of his skull keeps him awake. A groan escapes him. He should have just gone back to the med-bay and asked for something. _Would have, could have, should have_. But the thought of getting to his feet and making his way up there makes him nauseous. A whimper escapes him as another wave of pain passes through his whole body. He’ll be lucky if he can feel well enough to get out of the Mako before Garrus returns to work on it. It’ll be a _long_ night.

 

Kaidan vaguely hears what he thinks is the Mako door. Open it slow enough within the Normandy where the airlock isn’t necessary, and it barely makes a sound. He could be imagining it. It could be the sound of his blood pounding or a hitch in his breathing. Still, he freezes, waits for the inevitable interruption. Waits to get kicked out.

 

Instead, he hears a quiet voice. Low enough not to fully disturb him, but loud enough to hear.

 

“LT? You in there?”

 

 _Ashley_.

 

Kaidan shifts, stifles a groan. Time to go. “Yeah,” he mutters, willing himself to move. “Yeah. I’m getting up, though. Hang on.”

 

“No, no, no,” the Gunnery Chief starts, stopping Kaidan in his proverbial tracks. “Stay there. I’m just going to—… Hang on.”

 

He can hear a rustling, a rattling, a muffled curse from the younger woman. His lips twitch up. Kaidan and Ashley have grown close over the course of their mission. They’ve got more in common than their humanity: Alliance is in their blood, they both love reading and cool weather, and both have been known to sneak _real_ coffee onto the ship. They get along well. Ashley pokes at his reserved, quiet, and thoughtful personality, while Kaidan admires her outgoingness, sense of humor, and blunt honesty. She’s not perfect. He’s caught her looks and occasional side-comments about their alien squadmates. But Kaidan knows better than anyone that no one is perfect. And Ashley’s prejudice has been melting away as the days go by, assisted by both meeting more unique aliens and spending more time with Garrus, Tali, and Wrex.

 

If it didn’t feel condescending, Kaidan would say he’s proud of her.

 

There are a few more bumps, more gentle curses before the hatch closes again and Ashley is beside him. Kaidan stiffens. The action causes more pain to shoot from his implant all the way down his spine. If she’s with him, if she doesn’t know _why_ … she could make it worse. Not on purpose, obviously. Never on purpose. But she could turn on the lights. Talk too loud. Bump into him and all of it making his headache _worse_. He tries to catch his breath, tries to keep her from settling in. But a gentle hand rests on his shoulder as Ashley shushes him.

 

“Relax, LT,” she whispers, moving her hand to carefully rake her fingers through his thick hair. He does as she says almost instantly, just from that. “I know. I’ve seen you sneak down here before. I want to help.”

 

“Not much you could do for me, Chief.” Despite his words, Kaidan’s heart warms at the thought of his friend _wanting_ to help him. Many humans still look at biotics with disdain and mistrust. It’s no secret on the Normandy that he’s an L2, the worst of them all. That he could lose his mind or lose control, on top of the myths of mind-reading and mind-control. But Ashley, who has never met another biotic, let alone an L2 biotic, trusting him and wanting to do something for him… that means more than he can say. “I appreciate it, but I just have to wait for it to pass.”

 

Ashley snorts, the loudest she’s been since calling down to him. “Bullshit. There’s always _something_.” He hears rustling, dripping. “You act like you’re the only human to ever have a _headache_. Move your arm, keep your eyes closed.”

 

Kaidan suppresses an argument, the urge to ask her why, and does what she says. “Giving me orders now, Ash?”

 

“You’ll be thanking me for these orders in a minute.” Something cool and damp—a towel—lays across his eyes, before something colder and heavier is laid on top. _An ice pack?_ It takes a second, but as the cold seeps through the towel, it soothes the ache behind his eyes almost to the point of non-existence. Kaidan sighs in relief, letting his body further relax into his makeshift bedding. Ashley lets out a satisfied hum, runs her fingers through his hair again. “Yeah, I thought so. Not so stubborn now, are you?”

 

“Shut up.” But his words have no force behind them. He can still feel the headache, especially at the back of his head. But Ashley’s simple solution works _wonders_. He lies still, listening to the sounds of their breathing and focussing on the feel of his friend’s fingers carding through his hair. After a long few moments where Kaidan _almost_ falls asleep, Ashley lightly taps him on the shoulder.

 

“Can you lift your head?”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” He leans up with a grunt of pain and exertion, hand moving up to hold the ice pack and towel to his face. Ashley shifts, moves behind him. There’s more rustling, shifting, before she taps on his shoulder again.

 

“Okay. Lay back.”

 

Kaidan’s neck and head land on something soft, something elevated. _Her lap_ , he realizes as she shifts the pillow beneath his head. He’s never been more grateful to have a friend than at this moment. Her rough fingers find his hair again, nails trailing against his scalp. Kaidan hums, rests his hands on his stomach and _relaxes_. It actually feels good. It’s easy to forget his headache amongst the other sensations.

 

“Want to tell me why you didn’t just ask Chakwas for something, tough guy?”

 

Her tone is teasing, and it brings a grin to Kaidan’s face. “No. You told me to leave, so I left. Besides… I didn’t want it.”

 

Kaidan knows well what happens to L2s who rely too heavily on pain meds for their migraines. They can barely live without them, become almost zombie-like. Stop living. He can’t imagine what’s worse: losing his mind or _willfully_ losing his mind. He instead takes it only for the worst headaches, and suffers through the lesser ones on older methods of pain relief or his own power of will. All this can be hard to explain to someone who doesn’t have to live with the choice.

 

“Are you _sure_ this has nothing to do with looking good for Skipper?”

 

A warmth rises in his cheeks at the mention of Commander Shepard. Sure, she’d been sitting in the mess, eyes on the med-bay most of the time he was there _and_ when he had left. But… no. She’d seemed so understanding of him when they’d talks about his side affects that he couldn’t imagine her thinking less of him for wanting help. And if he could explain his reasoning… she’d understand that too. As much as he’d like to look good for Shepard, turning down medication wouldn’t be one of the things he’d do to.

 

“I’m sure, Ash,” he mumbles, reaching a hand up to pat her knee. “Just thought I could ride it out.”

 

“And with my help, you will.” Her hands move from his hair to massage his temples, drawing a soft groan from him. She laughs, hearty but still low. “Don’t get any ideas there, LT. I’m no Commander Shepard, after all.”

 

“Nah,” he breathes, punching her knee lightly. He smiles, hopes she can see it. “But you’re a damn good best friend, Chief.”

 

Her fingers pause in their ministrations. Kaidan would laugh if he didn’t think it might hurt. It’s hard to believe he’s rendered _Ashley_ , who always has a quip or tease for him, speechless. It makes him proud, really. It’s another long few moments before a hand presses into his shoulder.

 

“You really know how to make a girl feel special, don’t you?”

 

“I try. I _really_ try.”

 

“Uh, huh,” she deadpans. But then she leans down over him, and he feels warm lips press against his forehead. “Get some sleep, Alenko. I’ll wake you in time for us to sneak out of here.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I’m good. I’ve slept in stranger places. Just worry about yourself for once, okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he sighs. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Ash.”

 

“Thank me by taking the meds next time so I can enjoy my nice, comfy sleeper pod.”

 

Kaidan snorts. He knows just how much she hates the sleeper pod. He’ll thank her by letting her sleep in his nice, comfy bunk instead. But he doesn’t say this. He shifts, adjusts the ice over his eyes as Ashley continues massaging his temples and toying with his hair. It’ll be more than easy to fall asleep like this. Ash must get the hint. She hums thoughtfully.

 

“Good to know my… tender… _platonic_ care is super effective. Guaranteed to knock out a biotic marine faster than he can say ‘ _mass effect fields_ ’.”

 

Kaidan chuckles at that, pleased when it doesn’t jar his head as much as he expects. She’s not wrong. His final sigh is content.

 

“Night, Ash.”

 

“Goodnight, LT.”


End file.
